In 1881, Isaac Gevurtz moved with his family from San Francisco, California, to Portland, Oregon, and started a small store on Front and Yamill streets. The enterprise developed into a large furniture business under the name of I. Gevurtz & Sons, and by 1909, it had expanded into two stores: Gevurtz & Sons downtown at First and Yamhill, and Gevurtz Brothers on East Burnside Street and Union Avenue. The family also expanded into real estate, developing the Multnomah, Mallory, Philip, and Carlton hotels in Portland, as well as apartment houses, including several in the Nob Hill neighborhood. But around 1915, while Isaac Gevurtz in ill health, a financial crisis forced the company into bankruptcy, resulting in the loss of the hotel and apartment properties. The family reorganized the business into two companies: the Gevurtz Furniture Company and Gevurtz Brothers, a wholesale clothing business, both of which were led by sons of Isaac Gevurtz.

In 1928, the furniture store moved to Second and Morrison streets, where it would operate for a little more than 50 years. In 1938, Isaac Gevurtz's son Louis Gevurtz became president of the business, which expanded to include stores in Salem and Coos Bay, Oregon. Gevurtz thrived until the early 1950s, when business weakened with the growth of the suburbs, and downtown Portland began to decline. In 1952, Louis Gevurtz's son Burton returned to Portland after two years in the Navy to find the company struggling, and he began to shift the company's focus toward contemporary furniture and to modernize its advertising. Other changes followed: The company sold its Salem and Coos Bay stores, and bought Hollywood Furniture at NE 33rd Avenue and Sandy Boulevard, which was subsequently managed by Barrie Itkin, Burton Gevurtz's brother-in-law. The company remodeled the downtown Portland store in 1967. After Louis Gevurtz died that same year, Burton Gevurtz succeeded him as president, and began to look for a suburban location for the business. In 1976, the company opened the Gevurtz Contemporary Furniture showroom in Tigard, Oregon, followed by a warehouse at the same location in 1979. Also during that time, ownership of Hollywood Furniture was transferred to the Itkin family, and, in 1980, Burton Gevurtz closed the downtown store.

The company operated in Tigard until 1997, when Burton Gevurtz decided to retire, and no other member of the family wished to take over the business. The company sold its property and closed after more than 100 years in operation.

Sources: Collection materials; Burton Gevurtz's obituary, 2013, https://obits.oregonlive.com/us/obituaries/oregon/name/burton-gevurtz-obituary?id=23807534